It was the inclusion of the Bee Gee that helped to convince David to accept the gig.

After all, the Britain’s Got Talent judge is going to be busier than Santa this Christmas: he’s starring opposite Hugh Bonneville in a festive episode of sketch show Walliams & Friend; presenting game show Blankety Blank; fronting a special celebrating the 80th birthday of his great friend Dame Shirley Bassey and providing voices for Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes.

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He met the Queen when he hosted the performance in 2012

It was only when he was told the line-up that he agreed to be the host.

“When I learnt that Barry Gibb from The Bee Gees was appearing, I immediately agreed. I’m a lifelong fan of his,” reveals David.

“I remain absolutely starstruck whenever I meet one of my childhood heroes – it was the same when I first met the Chuckle Brothers on Comic Relief. Now I’m meeting Barry Gibb. It’s surreal. How has that happened?!”

As you’d expect, Barry is just one of the major names David will be meeting – performers include Sting, Gary Barlow and Emeli Sandé.

Of course, this gig also involves rubbing shoulders with royalty. When we spoke to the comedian ahead of the show – it airs on Tuesday but was recorded last month – he was looking forward to seeing the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

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“I have met Prince Charles before – he’s great fun,” says David, who hosted the 100th Performance four years ago.

“In 2012 [when the Queen attended], I was standing in the line-up next to Girls Aloud, and I kept thinking: ‘Oh no, what are they going to say to the Queen?’

"You’re not allowed to ask Her Majesty any questions, and she doesn’t offer you any opinions because people might use that. To be honest, she seemed most pleased to be meeting Ronnie Corbett, Bruce Forsyth, Des O’Connor and Jimmy Tarbuck.

"They got the biggest cheer.”

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This year’s show was filmed at Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, West London, not only in front of royalty but an audience of over 3,000 guests

This year’s show was filmed at Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, West London, not only in front of royalty but an audience of over 3,000 guests.

“You have to keep control of your nerves,” admits David. “But I’m glad I have been asked to host it again – there are a lot of great people who could do it. I wouldn’t want to be the person who did it once and was never asked back!

“The show is a tremendous laugh. Last year, Jack Whitehall made loads of jokes about Prince Harry.

"Later on, I met the Prince and asked him: ‘How long have you and Jack been pals?’ They weren’t. Jack just felt it was okay to be mischievous and tease Harry – and he was right. Some royal events can be stuffy, but this is a lot more fun. It’s a magical experience.”

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